Federal prosecutors in Chicago say an Illinois magistrate judge looking to probe possible sanctions over missteps that led the government to dismiss a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives robbery case lacks authority to do so, and they anticipate seeking the Seventh Circuit's "immediate" intervention if she decides any differently.
Law360
Illinois
THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Ill. Judge Can't Probe Robbery Dismissal Sanctions, Feds Say

By Lauraann Wood

Federal prosecutors in Chicago say an Illinois magistrate judge looking to probe possible sanctions over missteps that led the government to dismiss a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives robbery case lacks authority to do so, and they anticipate seeking the Seventh Circuit's "immediate" intervention if she decides any differently.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

7th Circ. Questions Contempt On Hytera Radio Redesign

By Lauraann Wood

A Seventh Circuit panel seemed unsure Wednesday that a district court correctly found Motorola Solutions Inc. entitled to a cut of Hytera Communications Corp. Ltd.'s sales of redesigned mobile radios under a 2022 royalty order entered after a jury found Hytera liable for trade secret theft.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Farm Says $99M Deere Right-To-Repair Deal Is Unfair

By Mike Curley

One of the farms suing Deere & Co. in federal right to repair litigation is objecting to a $99 million settlement that received preliminary approval in May, saying the deal provides minimal relief compared to what the class could have gotten at trial, especially since more than half of it may go to class counsel.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LITIGATION

Walmart Hit With Ill. Biometric Privacy Suit For Recorded Calls

By Celeste Bott

Walmart has been hit in Illinois state court with a proposed class action claiming that customers' voiceprints were recorded and captured for fraud prevention purposes when they called the retail giant's customer service line, without the required consent and disclosures under Illinois' biometric privacy law.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Cleaning Co. Agrees To $500K Deal Over OT, Sick Leave Claim

By MJ Koo

A Texas commercial cleaning company agreed to pay $500,000 to settle claims that it failed to pay overtime wages and provide paid sick leave to Colorado workers it employed through subcontractors, according to a motion for preliminary settlement approval filed Wednesday in Colorado federal court.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

SEVENTH CIRCUIT

7th Circ. Backs Fraud Conviction Over WhatsApp Evidence

By Celeste Bott

The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the wire fraud and money laundering conviction of a man who challenged the admission of incriminating WhatsApp messages between him and an uncharged co-conspirator into evidence, saying the government's use of his own pretrial discovery disclosures to authenticate the messages didn't violate his constitutional right to testify.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Series

Illinois Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

The last three months were particularly consequential for Illinois banking law, with a federal court ruling reshaping the Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, the state filling enforcement gaps, significant legislative activity and a revision to the community bank leverage ratio, say attorneys at Riley Safer.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Attorney Mental Health Is An Ethical Obligation In The AI Era

As attorneys cope with the increasing unpredictability that artificial intelligence and constant policy changes have created, particularly in practice areas where they carry the emotional weight of clients’ most consequential life events, otherwise soft discussions about self-care are a matter of professional competence, says attorney Jack Jrada.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL INDUSTRY

Goldstein Calls Gov't's Attack On Text Messages 'Hypocrisy'

By Jared Foretek

Lawyers for convicted SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein have rejected prosecutors' claims that the famed U.S. Supreme Court lawyer may have deleted messages between himself and his poker backers, calling the government "hypocritical" after it had previously argued that Goldstein could authenticate the messages if he took the stand at trial.

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judiciary Dems Seek DOJ Replies Before Blanche Hearing

By Courtney Bublé

Ahead of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing for the permanent position, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are demanding he provide answers to their outstanding oversight inquiries.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Texas Federal Judge Requires Confirmation Of AI Checks

By Emily Sawicki

Attorneys and self-represented parties appearing before U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez of the Western District of Texas are now required to certify that they have independently verified the contents of any filings created or edited using artificial intelligence.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Do Your Part,' Mass. Judge Chides Read Case Attys Post-Leak

By Cara Salvatore

A Massachusetts judge on Wednesday lectured counsel in the high-profile civil case against Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman acquitted of murdering her Boston police officer boyfriend, to honor their ethical obligations after sensitive information leaked on social media.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

U Of Ky. Appoints Controversial Dean Pick For Law School

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove of the Eastern District of Kentucky will retire from the bench later this month to become dean of the University of Kentucky's J. David Rosenberg College of Law, a move that sparked controversy in the state.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Wash. Atty Loses Bid For Jury In Dispute Over Bar Sanctions

By Emily Sawicki

A Washington lawyer sanctioned and disciplined for bringing a "frivolous" election suit in 2021 against then-Gov. Jay Inslee has lost her bid to have her ethics charges heard by a jury, with a state appeals panel finding no error in a trial court's ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to take on the disciplinary matter.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

High Court's Guardrails Won't Ease Fight Over Trans Athletes

By Alex Lawson

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision permitting states to ban transgender athletes from girls' sports was written in simple terms, but attorneys tracking the issue see the ruling as a flashpoint for further litigation.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Plea Deals Get Scrutiny In 'Hunter,' But Justices Stay Cautious

By Brandon Lowrey

The shock for Mary Fan came almost immediately after she began her career as a federal prosecutor in Southern California in the mid-2000s.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

5 NYC Legal Service Provider Union Contracts Have Expired

By Andrea Keckley

The collective bargaining agreements for five New York City-based indigent defense and civil legal aid providers expired at the end of the day Tuesday as multiple unions reported outstanding points of contention in their negotiations.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Watchdog Says DOL Needs Better Info Sharing Controls

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Department of Labor's lack of controls over information sharing between subagencies and nongovernmental entities, including law firms and legal advocacy organizations, may have unfairly advantaged those parties with privileged investigative information, an agency watchdog reported, though use of the practice has dropped off. 

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

The Top In-House Hires Of June

By Michele Gorman

Legal department hires during the past month included high-profile appointments at Bayer, Harley-Davidson and PBS. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from June.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

gray blue promo that reads Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey gray blue promo that reads Law360 400

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Akin Gump

Alston & Bird

ArentFox Schiff

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Cooley LLP

Cotchett Pitre

Cozen O'Connor

Diller Law

Faegre Drinker

Fisher & Phillips

Foley & Lardner

Gustafson Gluek

Hassett & Donnelly

Jenner & Block

Jones Day

Kirkland & Ellis

Leech Tishman

Liebert Cassidy

McGuire Law PC

Munger Tolles

O'Hagan Meyer

Peabody & Arnold

Riley Safer

Sheehan Phinney

Skadden Arps

Steptoe LLP

Wexler Boley

Williams McCarthy

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Adobe Inc.

Agiloft Inc.

Allbirds Inc.

American Bankers Association

American Immigration Lawyers Association

Auntie Anne's

Bank of America Corp.

Bayer AG

Boston Medical Center

Brooklyn Defender Services

Cato Institute

Center for Family Representation Inc.

Cinnabon Inc.

Citigroup Inc.

Deere & Co.

Exelon Corp.

Five Below Inc.

GoTo Foods

Harley-Davidson Inc.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.

Hytera

Illinois Bankers Association

Intuit Inc.

Kohl's Corp.

Lexington Herald Leader

Microsoft Corp.

Mitsubishi HC Capital America Inc.

Motorola Solutions Inc.

OceanSound Partners

Ollie's Bargain Outlet Inc.

Palantir Technologies Inc.

Paypal Holdings Inc.

Progress Residential

Public Broadcasting Service

Roku Inc.

Starz LLC

The Carlyle Group Inc.

The Children's Place Inc.

The Cigna Group

The Walt Disney Co.

TiVo Corp.

Walmart Inc.

Washington State Bar Association

eBay Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives

Central Intelligence Agency

City and County of San Francisco, California

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Cook County Circuit Court

Employee Benefits Security Administration

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Federal Reserve System

Federal Trade Commission

Illinois General Assembly

Internal Revenue Service

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

Office of the Director of National Intelligence

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Colorado

Wage and Hour Division